Forestry Commission
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TheWoodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG)provides funding to prepare a woodland creation design plan. Landowners, land managers and public bodies (other than Forestry England) can apply.?
The grant has 2 stages:
You can apply for 1,500 to complete Stage 1 of the WCPG application. This is for a desk-based exercise to identify the constraints and opportunities affecting the proposed planting.
If the site has potential for woodland creation, you will be offered a Stage 2 payment. Stage 2 payments help cover the costs for preparing:
- a site appraisal map
- a design concept plan
- a draft woodland creation design plan compliant with the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS)
Read our for an overview of the scheme.
Important update: 11 December 2024
The WCPG process now includes consultation and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening.
These changes apply to new applications received from 11 December 2024, and will not be applied retrospectively to applications already in progress.
This change means:
- consultation and EIA screening will take place on the final design for all WCPG applications at Stage 2
- WCPG applications will be published on the Consultation Public Register for a period of 21 days
- a County Archaeologist will be engaged on WCPG final proposals
- we will not repeat consultation or EIA screening for a subsequent EWCO application, neither will a standalone EIA screening enquiry for afforestation be required, unless there is a significant change to the proposalor our EIA decision expires
You must ensure you use the latest version of the WCPG application and plan, and declaration form before submitting your application.
Find out more in our blog post How were improving the woodland creation planning grant.
Find out if youre eligible
You must plan to create woodland that is:?
- located in England
- a?minimum of?5?hectares or?more?in total
If the proposed woodland is?split into different?blocks, each block?must meet the definition of woodland set out by the National Forest?Inventory: a?minimum?area of 0.5 hectares?and?a minimum?width of 20 metres.
If you intend to get funding to plant the woodland, you?should consider the minimum?areas?required to apply for grants for woodland creation?when planning your proposal.
Youll need the landowners consent and signature if you dont own the land. We may ask to see your tenancy agreement to confirm your land management responsibilities.
Landscape-scale applications that span multiple land holdings may be accepted. You do not need to own or control the?land,?but?you?will need a letter confirming that the landowner supports the application. If your proposed site spans a border, we will only make a Stage 2 payment of 150 per hectare on the land that is in England.
You are not eligible to apply for a WCPG on the proposed site if youve already applied for:
- the England Woodland Creation Offer
- Countryside Stewardship
- theWoodland Carbon Fund
- theHS2 Woodland Fund
- an?EIA enquiry form to plant a new woodland
How it works
The funding will help you gather and?analyse?the information you need to make sure your proposal considers:
- biodiversity?and geology
- soils and climate
- landscape?
- water?
- historic environment
- local stakeholders: please use the , which explains how their response will be used
Youll have to develop a?UK Forestry Standard-compliant plan for woodland creation that shows any constraints and opportunities, and how these are accounted for. Completing the WCPG application and plan will help you do this.
If your land is already under an existing grant agreement, your woodland creation design plan must cover the impact of tree planting on that agreement.?
Payments
Youll receive payment in?2 stages as you complete theapplication process.
Stage 1 (fixed payment)
1,500 will be paid to assist with desk-based data gathering to identify any constraints on the site. This will determine whether there is a potential scheme eligible for Stage 2.
Stage 2 (standard payment)
Funding will only be offered where the Stage 1 process has confirmed that there is potential for a UKFS-compliant woodland scheme on the site.
Stage 2 offers funding at a rate of 150 per hectare,?minus the 1,500 paid at Stage 1,?to?complete Stage 2 of the WCPG application.
You will never be paid less than 1,500 for approved Stage 1 work, and a minimum of 500 for approved Stage 2 work.
We make the Stage 2 payment on approval of your completed WCPG application and plan and supporting documents.?
The total amount of funding you can receive is capped at 30,500 per project.?
Read more about payments in the .
The parts of the WCPG application and plan that relate to stages 1 and 2 will become available for editing when an offer is made.
You may get supplementary payments for specialist survey work, if a need for them is identified at Stage 1.?
Supplementary payments
If the information you collect during Stage 1 indicates that a more detailed assessment is needed (such as a peat depth survey, or an archaeological survey) you can apply for a supplementary payment.
Where appropriate, the work required under the supplementary payment will need to follow the approach set out in the appropriate standard brief(s).
The current standard brief(s) are:
- peat depth survey
- breeding birds
- vegetation / habitats
- deer impact assessment
- archaeology analytical survey
- archaeology geophysical survey
To request a copy of a standard brief for archaeology, email WCPG@forestrycommission.gov.uk.
To apply